Cable cutter for fishing tools



Nov. 23,1926.. 1,608,313

J. T. HELBERT CABLE CUTTER FOR FISHING TOOLS Original Filed g s 17. 1923 NVENTOR elberl WITNESSES ATTORNEY ?etented Nov. 23, 1926.

warren STATES JOHN TJHELBERT, 0:5 EROADWAY, VIRGINIA.

'CA-BLE CUTTER FOR. FISHING TOOLS.

Original application filed August 17, 1923, Serial 110465189 2. Divided and ,this'application filedlt'iay 2', 1925. .Serial :No. 27;;589.

This invention relatesto cable cutting attachments for fishlng tools used 1n wells for the purpose of catching or grabblng a broken from the well, together with the tools -arried thereby. The present application is a division anapplication filed by me on August 17, 1923, Serial No. 657 ,892.

The object is to provide simple, strong and eiiicientmeans which may be mounted to operate within the Well casing to sever the frayed or unravelled end of the broken cable, which has been left in the bottomiof the well attached to the drilling tools, etc., tl e said cutter acting automatically to engage the cable ends belowthe frayed or separated strands and make the cutat a point where the latter will remain'in their originally twisted condition, and in position to be grasped by grab or clutchmeans carried by the fishing tool to remove thesame from the well.

Afull and complete understandingof the invention may be obtained from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing forming apart of this specification, it being understood that While thejdrawing shows a practical form of the invention, the

latter is not to be confined to strict conforinity with the showing thereof, but may be changed or modified, so long as such changes or modifications mark nomaterial departure from the salient features of the invention, as specifically pointed out in the appended claims. In the drawings, in which similar rei'ercharacters cesignate corresponding part-s tlnoughout the several figures 2-- F gure l. is a side elevation of the device, parts being shown in section.

Figure? is asimilar view, taken at right ang esto Figure 1 on theline i 2ther,eof.

ignre 3 is a transverse the line 3-43 of Figure 1.

'Figure dis a detail perspective View of the cutting mei'nber.

In drilling wells it frequently happens hat the drilling cable breaks below the surface of the ground, and it becomes necessary, in order to continue the drilling operations, to remove the broken cable, together With the tool or tools connected thereto, from the well. Many devices have been designed for this purpose, but the real; objection to the section taken on o drilling cable to sheet the removal theresubsequently brokencable from entering 'ofthe arms provided by the slots 3.

ferred to, on the unequal and separated strands of the cable, and it has been found that by making acloan, new cut oflthe cable below the same, wherethe strands areuleft intact and in their originally twisted condition, that the'removal of the broken cable andloststools is greatly facilitated.

It is with these facts in viewthat I have designed the present invention, whichcon- Vstitutes means for cutting off the frayed end of thecable in a well, so that it maybe gripped by a clutch, member to be ,a'iterward employed in connection with the device, it being understood that thecutting n'iemberis to be used first, and then removed from the carrying rneans,and the clutch member afterwards placed in oper- '-at1ve position therein and lowered 7 into the well to engage the said cable ,and'liftthe same out.

lteferringto the dra iving, I have shown the body ottheldevice:ascomprising a cylintll'lCtLl, tllllllllll' body member, 1, whichhas its upper portion 4 somewhat reduced, as indicated at 2, and capable of being-suspended by the usualv means, whereby it may be lowered intothe well from which the drillingcableand toelp aretobe removed. This member 1s usually constructed about eight feet long,- and for a considerable portionrof 'itslength, the 01 site sides of the body i their opposite sides, as indicated at 4'.

in order to prevent the frayed, end ofthe bet-ween the body member l and the inner wall of t-heawell casing, I provide guards whichare formed ofjresilient strips 5, secured at their upper en'dsupon the inner wall of the/body member Zllril at the upper ends of the slots 3, thesaid strips Git6i1llfi9jl3flll r along-said slots and nearly to therein which t ng member,

is'locatediadjacent to t. a lower er he cutting member comprises an attaching plate 6 secured to the inner side of the body member by means of removable screws '4', said plate being formed with hinge eyes 8, between which is pivoted an ear 9 formed Ihauled out of the well. the cable is removed, the screws 7 and 13 also on a disc 10, which is provided along its curved edge opposite to the hinge eyes, with a cutting edge 11, the upper cornerotthe disc being beveled back to locate the cutting edge on a plane with the lower face of the dlsc. This cutting edge isadapted to cooperate with the inner, upper cutting edge or anarcuate shoulder or ledge 12, detachably secured in place on the inner wall of the body member 1 and opposite the aforesaid hinge element, by screws 13.

lhe disc carries a coiled spring let of curved form and having one end secured to the center of the disc by a bolt or other suitable fastener, the other, free end of the "spring being adapted to engage against the inner wall of the body member, when the disc is elevated or swung about its hinge pin, to prevent the disc from remaining in an upright position and to return it to its normal seat upon the ledge andtransversely of the body member. 7 I

Suitable grab or clutch mechanism, not

shown, is to be mounted in the body member at a point above the upper ends of the-opposite slots 3, and since this mechanism formsthe subject matter of the hereinbefore mentioned application, no illustration or description of the same is made herein.

With the cutting member in position and resting upon the said ledge 12,and assuming that the drill cable has become broken, the tool is lowered into the well until itreaches a sutlicient depth for the frayed or unravelled-ends of the strands of the cable to be received-within the lower end of the body member. As this end of the cable enters the body member, the disc 10 will be moved up wardly about its hinge pintle, and after a an elongated hollow body member, a ledge sufficient amount of the cable has entered, an upward pull or quick Il'lOVGlllQIlll'lS given to the suspending cable tor the tool, w th the result that the broken cable will be cramped between the sharp upper edge of the ledge 12and the cutting edge 11 of the disc 10,

and, as the weight of the cable and the drill- ,ing tool or tools connected thereto comes on the broken cable, the cutting edges will sever the same, the frayed or unravelled portion remaining above and upon the disc which immediately closes, when the device is The cut-oil end of removed and the plate 6, disc 10 and ledge 12 taken out entirely when the above-n entioned clutchor grab means is applied within the upper portion of the barrel or body member 1, and the tool again lowered into the well for engagement with the cable therein for the purpose of rescuing the latter. i

In some instances, it may be necessary to cutaway the entire cable, step by step, un til the drilling tools carried thereby are reached so that they may be removed from the well by any of the well known types of grapples provided for the purpose. The present device operates equally well when this is necessary, as theclutch or grab member will be left out of the operation entirel and the cutting discand ledge used to perform the repeated severing otthe cable.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple; strong and ellicient means has been pi'ovided for severing cables in well 'asings which may be readily operated to engagc the cable by simply lowering the device thereonto and by a quick upward movement to cause the cutting elements to act.

Nhat isclaimed is 1- e 1.In a tool ofthe character described, an elongated hollow body with longitudinal slots extending upwardly from, the lower. end, cutting mechanism mounted within said body at the slotted portion, and guards secured upon the inner periphery of the body and extend ng along said slots and ter minatlng above the cutting mechanism.

2. In a tool of the character described,

an elongated hollow body slottedat the lower end, a ledge detachably .mounted against the inside thereof and having a cutting edge, an attaching plate detachably mounted within the opposite side of the body, and a swingable dislrlpivoted to said attaching plate and cooperating with said ledge andhaving a cutting edge. V

3. In a device of the character described,

member is movedupwardly and prevent the cutting member remaining in an upright position and thereby causing the cutting memberto return to its cutting position upon the ledge. t c In testimony, that I claim the foregoing my own, I have hereto afiixed my signa ture.

. JOHN HELBERTQ to engage with the body when the cutting H 

